Operation 1000 Cherry Tree founder Alex Hara was featured as “Someone You Should Know” in a recent newscast on Fox 45 News in Dayton. Listen to his story about the inception of the idea for Operation 1000 Cherry Trees and his ambitious plans for the future of the organization here.

After having planted 999 cherry trees in and around the Dayton area over the last five years, Operation 1000 Cherry Trees inviting our supporters to Carillon Historical Park on Thursday, October 19th to celebrate reaching the project’s first goal and announce the next steps for the initiative. This month, we have announced plans to extend our goal and plant an additional 1,000 Japanese cherry trees in the Dayton area.

Prominent community leaders spoke at the event, including the Consulate General of Japan in Detroit Mitsuhiro Wada; Former Ohio Governor Bob Taft; Montgomery County Commissioners Dan Foley, Judy Dodge and Debbie Lieberman; Dayton Power & Light President and CEO Tom Raga; and Dayton History President and CEO Brady Kress. The event culminated with two ceremonial cherry tree plantings: one to mark the 1,000th tree goal and another to launch the beginning of the next 1,000 cherry trees.

“Beginning with the next 1,000 cherry trees, the goal has gradually transformed into a community-wide beautification initiative as a side effect of the physical expression of gratitude of the Japanese people,” founder Alex Hara said.

“DP&L welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Operation 1000 Cherry Tree Project in beautifying the Dayton landscape and adding to the tree canopy with the same utility-friendly Japanese cherry trees that line the streets of our nation’s capital,” said Tom Raga, president and CEO of DP&L. “It is our pleasure to sponsor the trees that now connect two historic Dayton landmarks, the Dayton Art Institute and Carillon Historical Park.

“Part of this project is building an even stronger relationship between Japan and Ohio. We have over 500 Japanese-owned companies in the state of Ohio, some of them have contributed to this project and it’s an important part of our economy and our culture in Ohio,” said Former Ohio Governor Bob Taft in a Miami Valley Voices interview. Former Governor Taft is the project’s honorary chairman.

As Hara reflects on reaching the Operation 1000 Cherry Tree Project’s first goal, he extends gratitude to the many supporters of the project across the Dayton community.

“My appreciation goes to the organizations, local government, Japanese companies, American companies, and individuals who have provided funding and support for this project,” Hara said. “It’s the first step of another 1,000-tree journey. Before you know it, there will be cherry blossoms all over Dayton, as a symbol of gratitude and a tradition of our community.”

Finally, we contributed 70 cherry trees that were planted at the interchange of Interstates 70 and 75. This most traveled crossroad of America will be decorated with cherry blossoms in the coming spring and every spring thereafter.

In the fall, we finally planted 20 cherry trees at Dayton Art Institute. This nearly 100-year-old landmark of the Dayton community is fresh off a makeover, and we were very excited about adding the cherry trees to their remodeling project. Thanks to Executive Director Michael Roediger for allowing us to be a part of their long-awaited renovation project, and thanks to Terrence Horan for providing the fund.

Representatives of Green Tokai, Montgomery County, and Operation 1000 Cherry Trees plant the first in a number of trees at the Brookville facility.

On June 15, 2016, the City of Brookville hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Green Tokai in celebration of their recent expansion. Green Tokai is a respected auto parts manufacturer and has consistently invested in their manufacturing operation since establishing headquarters there in 1988.

As part of the expansion ceremony, Green Tokai officials welcomed Operation 1000 Cherry Trees, announced their support of our project, and planted the first in a number of cherry trees which will adorn the grounds of their manufacturing facility.

Congratulations to Green Tokai, your talented workforce and the City of Brookville! And, thank you for your support of Operation 1000 Cherry Trees.

Representatives of Green Tokai, Montgomery County, and Operation 1000 Cherry Trees plants 20 more trees at the Brookville facility.

Later in the spring, we provided 20 cherry trees to Green Tokai Company, a local Japanese company, at the celebration of their plant expansion in Brookville, Ohio. Green Tokai Company had donated $5,000 to the Operation 1000 Cherry Tree Project. Thanks to Daniel Bowers for his generosity.

Operation 1000 Cherry Trees continued to add to its local tree count in the Dayton region, with a series of area plantings in March 2016. First, 50 Cherry Trees were planted in the Deweese Ridgecrest area near Three River Park in North Dayton. Then, another 50 were planted near the Wright Dunbar Memorial Park on West Third Street. The latest 100 Cherry Trees were planted with funds provided by Dayton Power and Light Foundation. We thank the DP&L Foundation and especially Holly Wiggins for their continued support.

Operation 1000 Cherry Trees had a great start in March when Dayton Power & Light Foundation provided the funds to plant 50 Yoshino cherry trees at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and another 50 trees near DeWeese Ridgecrest neighborhood area. Thanks to Holly Wiggins, Executive Director of the Foundation, for her efforts to bring to a successful conclusion.

Operation 1000 Cherry Trees recently found a fascinating article from Rocket News 24 that shares some sobering stories and harrowing images collected in a drive along the Miyagi Coastline in Japan four years after the devastating earthquake and tsunami leveled much of the landscape. Our thanks to writer Evie Lund for bringing to our attention that, despite all the work that has been done, much of the area is still struggling to regain its former luster. Our thoughts and prayers remain for our friends along the Miyagi Coastline region. Read the full article here.